LAKES MELISSA AND SALLIE ASSOCIATION
14 JULY 2021
Dear Friends,
I want to take an opportunity to update you on some things that came up at the Annual Meeting in June and to address some new issues that have come up since then.
- First I want to apologize for not listing one of our members and neighbors who passed away this past year. Gary and Zo Karlstad reminded us of the passing of David Ramsett a long time neighbor of theirs on Fern Beach after a long battle with cancer. David passed away in February of this year. Our condolences go out to his wife Maureen.
- I have received many emails and calls about the condition of the DNR Launch Site on Lake Sallie. We know that lake levels are down around a foot in just about all the lakes in our region because of the drought and evaporation. The big problem at the Sallie Launch Site is the boat owners who “Power Load” their boats onto their trailers when they take them out. This process creates sink holes for trailers but more importantly the prop wash create mounds of gravel and sand behind the sinkholes thus denying other boats from launching altogether or causing damage to their props. This is a recurring problem year after year. I have contacted Dave Schotzko, Regional Director for Parks and Trails for the DNR in Bemidji, Dave also has responsibility for Launch Sites. Dave has always supported my requests for help each year. We talked last Friday, again on Monday and Tuesday, and Tuesday he had a heavy equipment team on site who dug out the mounds and restored the launch site. This problem will continue to exist until they can control the power launching. The drought is not helping and this issue is across the Northwest region of Minnesota, we are not the only ones with this problem. I want to thank Dave for his continued great support for the Lakes Melissa and Sallie Association.
- The following comes from Sandi Gruhot one of our fine Beach Captains. Sandi did some follow up to a few things going on at the lake and wanted to share with us in case others may be asking: A.) Low flying airplanes over the lake, the DL airport says it is not flying from here, they speculate it is flying from another close airport. It is illegal to fly close over the top of water or houses. If anyone can get the tail number of the plane you are encouraged to call the FAA in Fargo. B.) The super thick green “muck” that was floating in right before the 4th was an algae, but not the dangerous blue green algae. If you are interested in learning more, you may go to https://.www.pica.state.man.us/water/blue-green-algae-and-harmful-algal-blooms. C.) The Pelican River Watershed District is finding lots of sticks, rocks, and junk in their weed pick up. As you know Tera Guetter briefed us at the Annual Meeting they will not pick it up if the weeds have sticks and junk in it. Thank you Sandi for these suggestions.
- Bev Hefte has some suggestions for watering care of our lawns. Bev remembers the time White Bear Lake was at its lowest level and the purported reason was residential watering. Some considerations during these extremely hot days and periods of drought are as follow. DONT water in the heat of the day, watering at that time encounters a significant evaporation. Early morning is the best time to water lawns, before 10 am. (This is Mike Becraft’s experience, Rainman maintains our sprinkler system, they set run time to 20 minutes max per area, starting at 7 am three days a week.). Bev continues with sharpen your blades. Dull blades tear grass, which stresses it and forces it to use 40% to 60% more water. Leave your grass longer than you would normally, this establishes deeper roots. Finally she suggests leaving the clippings on the lawn to help slow evaporation and allow the grass to retain more moisture. Use this info as you see fit. Consult an expert if you have concerns.
5. Lastly, this issue came up at the Annual Meeting from several people and was a very emotional issue. The Lakes Melissa and Sallie Association has made it policy not to get involved in neighbor disputes, we defer to the individuals involved, their lawyers, the Township, the County, the State, and Law Enforcement if required. But the issue of these large tent covers for boats and pontoons is becoming a concern. People who have owned homes on the lake for many, many years and have enjoyed the views are now facing restricted views by their neighbors placement of the lifts and these large tent covers right on the property line. There is no clear guidance from the State nor the County on this issue. Another complaint is that people are putting their docks out on a diagonal and crossing in front of their neighbor’s property. Now this issue is a bit more debatable given that all I have researched says the property line extends into the bed of the lake. Clearly we would hope that neighbors would take their neighbor’s concerns/views into consideration when placing your docks, lifts, and water equipment. We all want to enjoy the lake and build great memories for our families. Please give these concerns consideration, my experience has been most neighbors want to have a good experience with their neighbors.
6. Enjoy your Summer and pray for rain, lots of rain.
Warm Regards,
Mike Becraft
President